Welcome to June's career newsletter! 

Performance Reviews

It's almost July already! I bet many of you already had their performance review at work.

Mid-year performance reviews are great, but honestly though, it's more for the benefit of the company than yours. It's their way of gauging if they're getting the most value for the salary they pay you.

Relying on company performance reviews won't help you advance in your career. After all, your current job may not be your last job--it's just a small part of your life as a professional.

Since it's the time for midyear reviews, I suggest you take this time to conduct one of your own.

Some questions to ask in your personal mid-year career review:

Where am I now? Be honest with yourself when you answer this question. How far have you come since you first started working? Has there been any significant increase in your salary? What about your job title and responsibilities?

What have I accomplished so far this year? Look back to January up until today, did you accomplish anything worthy? Document these accomplishments or put them in your resume. These accomplishments will help you negotiate a higher salary or a promotion.

Now if your achievements aren't as notable, or if you think you have achieved nothing, that should serve as a wake-up call. Do something to improve your standing at work and in your personal life.

Where do you want to be a year from now? After evaluating your current situation, the next question should be focused on your future. Where do you want your career to go? What skills, job experience or education do you need to get there? Your answer to these questions will formulate your plan for the next half of the year.

Have I expanded my professional network? Career development isn't limited to the work you do. The people in your professional circle can help you get to where you want to be. Having a good network helps you stay updated of new job opportunities and it also gives you an opportunity to help others who're just starting out in your field.

Your career isn't like a New Year's resolution to lose weight. You can just forget about when it gets tough! You will work for a significant part of your life, so developing and readjusting your career plan--even at the middle of the year--is important.

Kind regards,   

 

 

 

 

  

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Our list is growing! If you would like to advertise in future issues, please send an e-mail to robin@riklanresources.com.

 

 

Does Your Boss Secretly Hate You?

by Michelle A. Riklan, ACRW, CPRW, CEIC

I was eating at a restaurant when I overheard this woman complaining about her boss to a friend. After ranting, her friend said, "Suck it up, you're lucky to have a job."

After hearing this conversation, I realized that sometimes, no matter how nice and polite you are, your boss just doesn't care. After all your effort, he can't even spare you a smile or even a half-hearted "good job."

It is disheartening and demoralizing to work for someone like that.

So what can you do?

Find out if it's something you did (or are still doing).

Employee Screw-Ups and Attitudes that Never Fail to Annoy the Boss:

• Yelling "Finally" sarcastically after the announcement of a bonus, new perk or any positive change that you've been waiting for a long time.
• Maybe you don't yell "Finally!" but do you tell colleagues you'd rather get a check in lieu of whatever nice gesture the company is providing?
• You oversold yourself during the interview and now you're not living up to your promise.
• You're a whiner.
• You're a pseudo-mentee, asking for advice, when really you're just looking for a chance to air out your grievances in life.
• Mistaking the boss for your sweet and gullible relative who'll believe any excuse you give. 

Are you guilty of doing any of these things? Change that and your boss's perception of you will soon change.

If you're not guilty of any of the behaviors listed above, how can you confirm if your boss hates you?

Read on.

Symptoms of Boss Hate and the Prescribed Solution

Your boss constantly avoids you.

Does your boss often pretend he's busy when you're trying to ask him something? How do you talk to a person who doesn't want to talk to you?

March into his office when he's alone, walk confidently and show him you have something urgent to discuss. Say, "I know you're busy but I've noticed we're having trouble communicating. I really value your opinion and guidance in my work." Saying this tells him you know what he's doing but at the same time you're not accusing him of anything. Follow that with some flattery then ask him for feedback on your work. That should put you back in his good graces again.

He's decreasing your responsibilities or refusing to give you more work.

Who wouldn't like a decreased workload, right? Well, what if your workload decreases 'til there's nothing left?

Managers slowly decrease workload of employees if they're about to get fired or their work quality is poor.

When this happens, evaluate yourself honestly and see if there's anything you can do to gain your boss's confidence.

Tired of menial, repetitive work? Your boss is just not that confident with your abilities yet. To solve that, compile a list of your skills and achievements into a personal brag book and then use it to negotiate more tasks with your boss.

Lack of feedback and nonexistent performance reviews.

What's worse than a boss who constantly criticizes your work? A boss who doesn't give any feedback .

Luckily, the solution to this is simple. Email your boss and tell him you want to improve your performance and would love to know what he thinks of your work.

And if he doesn't respond, at least you have an email proving you tried to reach out. That would come in handy when your boss suddenly sacks you for mediocre performance.